Though physically each cell in our body has been consistently replaced every seven years, psychologically, it took the proper English school boys less than a year in isolation to transform into dehumanized savages. Coinciding with their mental shift, their exploitation of certain tools also follows suit. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the motifs of fire, face paint, and clothing show how it is human nature to invest more power in the idealistically pleasing, than the morally correct.
The innocent, smoldering fire that began the day the boys first left the scar is in stark contrast to the horrors of a ravenous flame that ensued as a result of an uncontrolled lust for not solely blood, but for power. In the beginning, the motif of fire had a wholesome foundation. Chiefly through Ralph’s eyes does this become evident, as to the rest of the stranded boys he states: “There's another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire" (38). It is here that power is first imparted into the use of fire, and the authority that such a thing facilitates. Ralph’s understanding of the necessity of fire is found throughout Lord of the Flies. Persistently, Ralph tries to remind the boys as to why maintaining a steady column of smoke and fire should be their first priority. By insisting on maintaining the flames, rather than allowing himself the simple amusements such as hunting and sport, Ralph’s valuable foresight demonstrates his ability to bear patiently the drudgery of rescue. Eventually Ralph grows to be alone in his ideals of returning to society, as the idea of rescue becomes increasingly remote. The labor of sustaining a fire h...
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...nothing to hide, for his core was also found to be his nature as a human, but a human who had different ideals and desires.
In conclusion, Ralph’s resistance to the majority of the tribe’s trends document his moral integrity to defy the ravages of human nature. Perhaps his vision of rescue and returning back to civilization facilitated his desire to take a higher road. Without such visions or hope however, the tribe’s perverted use of fire, the illusion of anonymity afforded from the use of face paint, and the exploitation of image from clothing or nakedness, all document their declining sense of morality. Golding confirms that in the isolation of this island, when consequence is a remote possibility, the true nature humans is confirmed to yield to the influence of ideas that appeal and fulfill their desire, no matter the penalties that may result from such greed.
William Golding, the author of the highly-acclaimed book, The Lord of the Flies took the reader into a world where underage boys live in an uncharted island with no adults no other human contact; just themselves and finding ways to survive and to get off the island. However, that is no easy task, Golding shed some ground-breaking light on how really boys will act with no authority in their lives and the term “boys will be boys” will arise. The boys were placed in a situation where they were force to act a certain way of nature and condition. In consequence, the boys’ savage and immoral behavior shown is to be blamed on the situation/environment nurtured factors.
It is in these games were the boys get carried away and Ralph feels a
The lagoon, often described as a “mirage”, represents the initial impression of paradise and peace while the rocky cliffs on the other side of the island represent a harsher reality: “A kind of glamour was spread over them and the scene and they were conscious of the glamour and made happy by it… On either side rocks, cliffs, treetops, and a steep slope…” (29). Golding uses these symbolic images to contrast the fantasy of goodness and the reality of corruption. At first, the boys spend happy, carefree days in the lagoon unclouded by corruption and evil. As the plot progresses, however, Jack starts gravitating toward the rocky side of the island, which symbolizes his gradual transition into corruption. In the end, when Ralph reflects on all the horrific experiences the boys have on the island, “For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood- Simon was dead- and Jack had…” (202). The disappearance of the “glamour” as the island is engulfed in flames is symbolic of corruption driving out (the illusions of) innocence. The fire can be considered a metaphor, for it shows how experiencing corruption incinerates former misconceptions about innocence. The boys arrive on the island with the expectation that the world is a safe place and that
The author, William Golding uses the main characters of Ralph, Jack, and Simon in The Lord of the Flies to portray how their desire for leadership, combined with lack of compromise leads to the fall of their society. This desire for leadership and compromise led to the fall of their society just like multiple countries during times of wars.
1. Given that Piggy represents society and its rules, he must have found his situation on the island disturbing at the least. At first, there is no organized social structure of any kind; no position of leadership existed. There was an absence of rules. This must have been very disturbing to Piggy. Then, as the story progresses, a sort of chain of leadership emerges with Ralph being voted as “chief.” “Ralph raised his hand for silence. ‘All right. Who wants Jack for chief?’ With dreary obedience the choir raised their hands. ‘Who wants me?’ Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then, Piggy too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air. Ralph counted. ‘I’m chief then.’”(LoF p21). Then, a little bit later, Ralph brings up the idea of rules: “Jack was on his feet. ‘We’ll have rules!’ he cried excitedly. Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks them-’”(LoF p33). When the “hunters” kill their first pig is when we start to see signs of a more primal society, or lack thereof. They repeat the chant, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.” Piggy obviously if fed up with Jack and his hunters, asking, “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What’s grownups going to think?’”(LoF p.91). And then, Ralph’s authority is challenged by Jack. Jack first disregards the rule of letting the person with conch speak without interruption. Then he directly challenges Ralph, saying, “And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there, telling people what to do. You can’t hunt, you can’t sing-’”(LoF p91). From this confrontation is goes downhill on the island. On pg. 114, a “game” gets a little out of hand, when Robert pretends to be the pig, and the others pretend to hunt him, but then they become more serious and actually hurt him. He is not killed, however. Eventually, Jack and some of the other boys split apart from Ralph and his “group.” Jack and his hunting band kill another pig savagely, reveling in its agony. The “peak of their decline” was when they killed Simon, calling him a beast, during the storm. Then Piggy is killed, and the conch is shattered, and that is when I consider them to be at the absolute lowest in society: nothing more than savages.
“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it” ― J.K. Rowling. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, a group of schoolboys end up stranded on an uninhabited island which leads to a struggle for power and survival. The author argues that man is naturally evil; however, the characters Ralph, Simon, and Roger suggest that they were molded into their state of being.
Most people perceive children as being innocent, precious beings. Some believe that they are angelic. Put in the wrong situations though, they can become savage beasts. The innocence leaves their bodies and they are no longer precious. The survival of the fittest instinct kicks on and they can become killers. In the book Lord of the Flies the theme is that kids are not as innocent s they seem.
Had the process of dehumanization never taken place, the boys would have never descended into “savagery”, nor have followed their evil temptations. For example, if the boys had never followed their temptations and stayed as formal English boys, the novel would not be as interesting and would not make such an impact on readers’ lives as the true novel has for many years. Therefore, through the boys’ behavior on the island, Golding tells his readers that our leaders need to enforce rules handling mankinds’ inner evil to make sure our society operates
In society people often face situations that challenge good morals, causing some people to face consequences for ignoring their sense of morality. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph struggles in maintaining his good morals he faces many obstacles challenging him to give up and become savage, but he always find a way to overcome the complication to retain his values. On the other hand Jack has strong difficulty sustaining his morals he faces many different obstacles but rather then overcoming said obstacles he succumbs to them. After spending little time on the island his sense of morality becomes overtaken making him willing to do anything to gain authority. When individuals are faced with an obstruction it can prevent or hinder
Over millions of years, man has transformed from a savage, simple creature to a highly developed, complex, and civil being. In Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding shows how under certain circumstances, man can become savage. During nuclear war, a group of British schoolboys crash land on an uninhabited island to escape. Ralph the elected leader, along with Piggy and Simon, tries to maintain civilization, while Jack and his group of choir boys turned hunters slowly become savages obsessed with killing. Through characters’ action and dialogue, Golding illustrates the transformation of civil schoolboys into bloodthirsty savages.
William Golding is a master at creating theme, in his first paragraph of Lord of the Flies, he warns his audience about the negative impact technology has on the environment. The author uses the characters and setting as symbols to help create a theme. When Ralph and Piggy discuss their status, “‘They’re all dead,’ said Piggy, “an’ this is an island. Nobody don’t know we’re here…’” (Golding 14). The island represents the world and boys represent a society. Each boy will actually represent a type of person. Collectively, the characters will have to form a society on this new place in order to survive. At his time, transportation was a major symbol of technology. Piggy states, “I saw the other part of the plane” (Golding 8). A plane was a symbol
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about human nature and the functions of society. One of the main characters in this novel is Ralph, who is chosen to be the leader of a group of boys. He assigns tasks to the boys and tries to keep them accountable for it. However, the boys begin to slack because they can no longer see the point of these tasks and rules. As a result of the constant slacking the boys soon turned into savages. Ralph’s struggle to maintain order amongst the boys shows how without rules it is human nature to descend into savagery due to the avoidance of authority.
is left with the decision of whether or not to drop the rock. Roger is
This paper will explore the three elements of innate evil within William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, the change from civilization to savagery, the beast, and the battle on the island. Golding represents evil through his character's, their actions, and symbolism. The island becomes the biggest representation of evil because it's where the entire novel takes place. The change from civilization to savagery is another representation of how easily people can change from good to evil under unusual circumstances. Golding also explores the evil within all humans though the beast, because it's their only chance for survival and survival instinct takes over. In doing so, this paper will prove that Lord of the Flies exemplifies the innate evil that exists within all humans.
The novel that I am going to talk about is Lord of the Flies by